The last time we had a non-Swedish playmaking center was BMO. Seeing Roy play makes me appreciate having a good natural center as opposed to the patchwork we had before. (Calgary seriously fucked the dog year in year out not getting a guy to play with Iggy)

Nice game by Schneid. Wasn't tested very much but that left glove hand save was pretty fantastic.

Kassian had a decent game but what the fuck was he thinking when he was clear and free in front of Bulin. Keep it simple and shoot the fucker. I still feel that he has a lot of work to do in his defensive coverage but nice to see him pot a goal with 3 seconds left.

Our PP is still very predictable. It looks nothing like the dominant PP we had a couple years ago. Edmonton was all over us taking away time and space.

I liked that in a game where both teams showed up to play the Canucks dominated the Oilers. Granted, Edmonton played last night in Calgary, but it wasn't like they looked slow or unengaged. The Canucks just shut them down and gave them nothing.

It could probably have been 6 or 7 to nothing if not for a couple of really good saves by Khabibulin and a goal post.

In his first game Roy was impressive. I liked his speed and his patience with the puck. For a little guy he doesn't get pushed around too much either. Definitely picks his spots, but he puts himself in good places. Hopefully this is an accurate assessment of what we will see from him on a game-to-game basis.

The Sedins looked good out there at 5-on-5. The play that Daniel hit the post on was exactly what they should be looking for off of the cycle. Instead of just working it up and down the boards they started on the wall and then quickly moved it out while Daniel had left the boards and gone straight to the slot. On the PP they still have a long ways to go, too static. Daniel's turnover at the blueline made me cringe, but his defensive recovery and perfect positioning on the back check to intercept the pass and send it the other way on the attack was great.

Kassian was alright in his return, he definitely looked more like the guy we saw at the beginning of the year. I loved his hit on Nugent-Hopkins, after that he really seemed more engaged. Good to see him break the slump in the dying seconds too.

I'll never understand Vigneault. Garrison and Bieksa played well on the 5-on-3 with the Sedins, they have looked like the better pairing on the point for a while. So what does AV do? Puts Edler back out there on the next PP. It's not just that Garrison is a better shooter, he moves the puck better and does more to get open. Edler can't do that. Edler can't settle the puck quickly, and he can't seem to make a safe play or get a shot off when it's not fully settled. So while the 1st unit looks totally static out there most times, some of this is because the point men can't contribute effectively.

A good game, but it's 4 goals against the Oilers who don't have much on defense.

Watched the whole game on demand after a few month and all i have to say is that Derek Rhoaw is looking fine, he's just a presence on the ice most people who never played that game don't understand. Makes the guys around better...

And as long as we put the Sedins out on the first unit it will be exactly the same.. Wanting Ballard back is like wanting a STD.. Guy has had ample chances and has proven to be lousy defensively and pretty much useless as an offensive weapon.. Barker maybe "meh" but Ballard is "shite".

OK so we beat an Edmonton team playing their second game of a b2b.. Yep Schneider got his redemption.. Roy looked just fine. and Zack got a goal.. All good things..

Tiger wrote: Wanting Ballard back is like wanting a STD.. Guy has had ample chances and has proven to be lousy defensively and pretty much useless as an offensive weapon.. Barker maybe "meh" but Ballard is "shite".

Was very pleased with the game last night. Roy really looked good and his play has me really looking forward to Kesler's return when we will have 3 legit scoring lines. I'm liking this early talk of a 2a and 2b line.

Higgins is on fire. The man is playing inspired hockey right now. Grin on his face and a little smash & dash to boot. The man looks happy.

Kassian had a good return. Still needs polish but loved some of the hits and him finally breaking the slump. Its good to see that gap tooth grin. Hopefully he plays like a monster next game.

Cory didn't have much work but there were a few chances there and he shut the door. Its always good to skunk the 'coilers.

But holy shit, do I hate having to put up with Edmonton and/or Calgary feed for these games. The commentary is awful and wtf was Spector going off on about Kipper? Lol... if kipper really did want to fuck the Flames/Leafs he coulda said "sure, trade me.... and then not report (pulling a Thomas)."

Tiger wrote: Wanting Ballard back is like wanting a STD.. Guy has had ample chances and has proven to be lousy defensively and pretty much useless as an offensive weapon.. Barker maybe "meh" but Ballard is "shite".

Bullshit - Ballard has never been given a chance from day one.

Agree. Edler gets away with the most boneheaded plays and AV keeps putting him out. One screw up by Ballard and the coach parks him on the bench. I feel for Ballard because every time he's out there it's like juggling grenades. One misstep and he's gone. Very few players do well under those circumstances. If your coach has no faith in you you begin to question yourself.

Tiger wrote: Wanting Ballard back is like wanting a STD.. Guy has had ample chances and has proven to be lousy defensively and pretty much useless as an offensive weapon.. Barker maybe "meh" but Ballard is "shite".

Bullshit - Ballard has never been given a chance from day one.

Agree. Edler gets away with the most boneheaded plays and AV keeps putting him out. One screw up by Ballard and the coach parks him on the bench. I feel for Ballard because every time he's out there it's like juggling grenades. One misstep and he's gone. Very few players do well under those circumstances. If your coach has no faith in you you begin to question yourself.

The haters will always find ways to hate. Ballard might not worth his $4.2m contract but comparing him to Barker is a pure insult. No teams picked him up from the waivers even with a $700k price tag, enough said.

Incredible how things fall in place so much more seamlessly when a team has two legitimate top 6 centres on the ice.

This was the first game since Kesler broke his foot that the Canucks were able to fully dictate play for the majority of the game.

It wasn't as simple as Roy stepping in and making everything better, the entire game plan changed and the wingers slotted back into their natural positions and they didn't have to keep an eye on what any Centre not named Henrik was doing. More importantly, with adequate lines up front, the defense was far more aggressive and quick moving the puck up the ice and pinching in the offensive zone and even the neutral zone for loose pucks.

Vancouver's defense is one of the most mobile and skilled groups in the league, but with the injuries up front they played far more conservatively. One big reason why I think Edler has looked somewhat uncomfortable at times is the reigns that have been put on his game, along with the other D, as the Canucks were struggling through injuries.

Thought Edler was much better last night, and as the team gets healthy he's going to begin to get more and more involved in the offensive side of the game which should help elevate his overall play.

I was a big fan of the Roy acquisition and I've been a fan of his for a while. He was great last night but never underestimate the adrenaline factor when a good, new player joins a squad. Even if he doesn't play as well as he did last night, his line was downright dominant, this is the level of play you can get out of this guy when games matter.

It's been a really shitty season for Canucks fans in terms of the entertainment value, which wasn't surprising with the lockout and injuries through the year. The public and internet discussion of the team has been a caricature, really dissuading any proper, reasoned discussion on this team. When you consider everything, the coaching staff and the team has done extremely well in the standings yet the discussion on the team has been overwhelmingly negative for much of the season. Maybe I'm just getting older, maybe it's the frustration over the lockout, but I had zero energy to enter long hockey debates.

But finally, with less than a dozen games left on the season we're seeing this team play a more conducive style to their talent and with Kesler coming back, there's reason for optimism and excitement as the playoffs near.

It's difficult to project how good this team will be when Kesler gets healthy and Roy settles in, and while they're not going to be favorites in the West, the Canucks should have enough to beat anyone in a playoff series. Without adding a C, the Canucks were a one or two round playoff team at best, but now if they can be mostly healthy and put it together, they're a legitimate playoff contender.